More on the WTC Disaster (Updated) [Sep 11, 2001, 9:30 pm ET] – Share – Viewing Comments
Of course this is not game related (we do not expect to be doing any further
game coverage today), but with the legit news sites being almost impossible to
access at times today, we've been getting loads of requests for more information
about what's been going on. Here is the latest as of about 9:00 PM EDT:
- President Bush addressed the nation 8:30 PM EDT. Here's a wire report: WASHINGTON (AP) - A grim-faced President Bush condemned ghastly attacks in Washington and New York on Tuesday and vowed to "find those responsible and bring them to justice." In the second Oval Office address of his presidency, Bush said the United States would retaliate against ``those behind these evil acts,'' and any country that harbors them.
To recap:
- In two separate attacks, hijacked planes struck both main towers of the World Trade Center in Manhattan this morning, and both of the "twin towers" subsequently collapsed.
- A hijacked plane struck the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and part of it has collapsed as well.
- A hijacked plane crashed in western Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. Reports indicate the hijackers planned to crash this plane into Camp David in Maryland.
- 47 Story WTC building seven, one of the five (relatively) smaller buildings in the World Trade Center also later collapsed from ancillary damage.
- The White House, the Pentagon, and the Capitol Building were all evacuated, all domestic flights in the US have been grounded through at least noon tomorrow.
- Other closings include most federal offices, the stock markets, the Disney theme parks, and the cancellation of today's Major League Baseball schedule. The President's speech announced that all federal agencies will be open for business tomorrow.
- Broadcasts out of Afghanistan showed evidence of missile attacks and antiaircraft fire, but what connection this has to today's apparent terrorist attacks in the US is not clear at this point. The US has denied involvement in these attacks.
- In the first hints of any sort at the scope of casualties, the New York City Fire Department has estimated that as many as half of the 400 firefighters dispatched to the scene are missing. CNN has said that 78 Police officers are missing. Also, the death toll from those on the four hijacked planes has been placed at 266. The number of dead and injured at the Pentagon has been widely reported as about 100. No estimates of the number of victims from the World Trade Center have been made.
- People throughout the United States have are being urged to donate blood to help offset significant shortages in New York and Washington. The American Red Cross in Greater New York or the American Red Cross are places to contact about donating blood or money, or both.
- Some news sites seem to be back online. Here are some links that have been more reliable: CNN.com; CNET.com; Yahoo; The New York Times; washingtonpost.com; usnews.com; ABCNEWS.com; FOXNews.com; MSNBC; and BBC News Online.
All of our thoughts go out to the victims of these attacks and their families and friends in what must be an incredibly difficult time.
War is an ugly thing. People die in war, and they aren't always soldiers. Osama bin-Laden declared a holy war on the United States of America. We all know what President Bush said regarding the "No distinction between terrorists and those who harbor them". Stop and think about that. If my brother kills a man, and I KNOW it, before it happened or not, and I don't "turn him in" for lack of a better phrase, then I am just as guilty as he. Because I have condoned his actions by my inaction.
***IF*** Osama bin-Laden is responsible for this atrocity, it is just his first step in bringing his holy war to America. It has been said here and there that this attack was not "terrorism" but retaliation to acts America has commited in the Middle-East. So be it. I am no expert on foreign affairs, and I honestly don't know what grievances some Middle-East countries may have against us. That is my fault, for not paying closer attention to what my country does. But, I DO know that if the foreign response (by a country or an individual) is the act of war that we saw two days ago, then war it shall be.
War has been declared on our country by the actions we've seen over the course of the past several years. Our next step is to identify precisely who our enemies are, find them, and kill them. I don't say that lightly. War means death. It has become blatantly obvious to even the most obtuse Americans that our faceless enemies are willing to die for their cause. So are we. They are willing to kill for their cause. So are we. Which cause is right? I can't rightly say. We are all "the bad guys" to somebody else. But I can't put enough emphasis on this: Wars are won by killing the enemy. Killing them until they are all dead, or killing them until those that are left surrender unequivocally and unconditionally. Killing them until they can't kill us. Call it heartless or call it cold-blooded, but don't you dare call it blood-thirsty or reactionary.
Is American foreign policy to blame for this? It may very well be. I don't know, and I don't care. I said I don't know which cause is "right", but I know that MY country has been attacked time and time again. We are in a war whether we like it or not, declared not by us, but by our enemies. Whoever they are and when we find them, let's take the war to THEM. Reap the whirlwind.
***IF*** Osama bin-Laden is responsible for this atrocity, it is just his first step in bringing his holy war to America. It has been said here and there that this attack was not "terrorism" but retaliation to acts America has commited in the Middle-East. So be it. I am no expert on foreign affairs, and I honestly don't know what grievances some Middle-East countries may have against us. That is my fault, for not paying closer attention to what my country does. But, I DO know that if the foreign response (by a country or an individual) is the act of war that we saw two days ago, then war it shall be.
War has been declared on our country by the actions we've seen over the course of the past several years. Our next step is to identify precisely who our enemies are, find them, and kill them. I don't say that lightly. War means death. It has become blatantly obvious to even the most obtuse Americans that our faceless enemies are willing to die for their cause. So are we. They are willing to kill for their cause. So are we. Which cause is right? I can't rightly say. We are all "the bad guys" to somebody else. But I can't put enough emphasis on this: Wars are won by killing the enemy. Killing them until they are all dead, or killing them until those that are left surrender unequivocally and unconditionally. Killing them until they can't kill us. Call it heartless or call it cold-blooded, but don't you dare call it blood-thirsty or reactionary.
Is American foreign policy to blame for this? It may very well be. I don't know, and I don't care. I said I don't know which cause is "right", but I know that MY country has been attacked time and time again. We are in a war whether we like it or not, declared not by us, but by our enemies. Whoever they are and when we find them, let's take the war to THEM. Reap the whirlwind.
Date
Subject
Author
469.
Sep 13, 2001Sep 13 2001
A rational call for carpet bombing.
anon@209.245
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